The American toad (Bufo americanus) is one of the most common toads in western Pennsylvania.  They’re common across their entire range.  They’re small, around 3 inches long, with short legs and are usually a shade of brown to green.  Like most toads, they do have warts with a mildly poisonous (to us) milky fluid that they use for defense.  Unlike frogs, toads will spend most of their adult lives on land, preying on insects.

A female American toad will lay between 4000-8000 eggs in still or slow moving water sometime around June.  Most of these eggs are consumed by birds and fish.  Of those that survive, tiny tadpoles emerge in about a week.  This photo is of such a tadpole that my daughter and I found at the edge of a local pond that was lined with hundreds of thousands of tiny tadpoles.  Tadpoles take about 6 weeks to develop into toadlets, but it will be another 2 to 3 years before they reach sexual maturity.

They have a surprisingly loud trill-like call, one you’ve no doubt heard on trips to wetlands, lakes or ponds.

This is what they sound like:

American Toad

It’s easy to raise tadpoles, and it is a great way to educate your kids on animal care and nature.